A reconfigurable bed rack system and methods of manufacture and use that is dynamic, adaptable, lightweight, and easy to install are provided. The bed rack system may include a plurality of U-shaped modular telescoping support structures that allow for a height adjustment to the rack without uninstalling the rack from the truck bed. Through the telescoping feature of the U-shaped support structures, a height dimension of the bed rack system may be increased or decreased. One or more side and/or upper rails may extend between the plurality of U-shaped modular telescoping supports for attaching one or more mounting brackets to secure equipment, tools and/or supplies to the bed rack system. The rack system may also include a tire hoist bracket assembly including a hoisting system to store a spare tire against an upper, inner surface of the rack system.
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1. A vehicle bed frame comprising:
a plurality of support structures, each of the plurality of support structures including a pair of upright posts, each of the pair of upright posts having a mounting end, a connecting end opposite the mounting end, and a cross rail extending between the pair of upright posts;
a plurality of side rails connecting the plurality of support structures on opposite sides of the plurality of support structures, each of the plurality of side rails including a plurality of horizontally-elongated apertures extending end to end across a substantial portion of each of the plurality of side rails;
at least one top rail connecting the plurality of support structures between the plurality of side rails and on a top side of the plurality of support structures;
a spare tire hoist housing secured between the plurality of support structures, the spare tire hoist housing having a bottom surface and a side surface, the bottom surface having a keyhole-shaped hoist wire access opening, the side surface having a rotatable hoist crank access opening; and
a spare tire hoist secured within the spare tire hoist housing, the spare tire hoist including a rotatable hoist crank extending from the rotatable hoist crank access opening and operable to control a hoist cable extending from the keyhole-shaped hoist wire access opening so that, when the hoist cable is connected to a spare tire, the rotatable hoist crank is operable to be rotated to cause the spare tire to be raised or lowered between a lowered configuration and a stored configuration, the stored configuration with the spare tire suspended against an upper, inner surface of the vehicle bed frame.
9. A method to store a spare tire above a bed of a vehicle via a vehicle bed frame system, the method comprising:
attaching the vehicle bed frame system to the vehicle, the vehicle bed frame system including:
a plurality of support structures, each of the plurality of support structures including a pair of upright posts, each of the pair of upright posts having a mounting end, a connecting end opposite the mounting end, and a cross rail extending between the pair of upright posts;
a plurality of side rails connecting the plurality of support structures on opposite sides of the plurality of support structures, each of the plurality of side rails including a plurality of horizontally-elongated apertures extending end to end across a substantial portion of each of the plurality of side rails;
at least one top rail connecting the plurality of support structures between the plurality of side rails and on a top side of the plurality of support structures; and
a spare tire hoist secured between the plurality of support structures, the spare tire hoist including a rotatable hoist crank operable to control a hoist cable so that, when the hoist cable is connected to the spare tire, the rotatable hoist crank is operable to be rotated to cause the spare tire to be raised or lowered between a lowered configuration and a stored configuration, the stored configuration with the spare tire suspended against an upper, inner surface of the vehicle bed frame system;
connecting the hoist cable to the spare tire; and
rotating the rotatable hoist crank to cause the spare tire to be raised from the lowered configuration to the stored configuration with the spare tire suspended against the upper, inner surface of the vehicle bed frame system,
wherein,
the rotatable hoist crank extends toward one of the plurality of side rails, beyond a rotatable hoist crank access opening, and is substantially exposed along a length thereof from at least an underside thereof.
2. The vehicle bed frame of
a plurality of mounting brackets, each of the plurality of mounting brackets extending from a corresponding mounting end of the plurality of support structures, the vehicle bed frame operable to be attached to a vehicle via the plurality of mounting brackets.
3. The vehicle bed frame of
4. The vehicle bed frame of
a plurality of equipment mounting brackets extending from the plurality of side rails, the plurality of equipment mounting brackets operable to maintain a corresponding equipment device to the plurality of side rails.
5. The vehicle bed frame of
wherein,
the at least one top rail is a plurality of top rails, and
the plurality of top rails connect the plurality of support structures.
6. The vehicle bed frame of
7. The vehicle bed frame of
8. The vehicle bed frame of
wherein,
the rotatable hoist crank extends toward one of the plurality of side rails and terminates on an inner side of the one of the plurality of side rails, and
the rotatable hoist crank is substantially exposed along a length beyond the rotatable hoist crank access opening and at least an underside thereof.
10. The method of
wherein,
the vehicle bed frame system includes a plurality of mounting brackets,
each of the plurality of mounting brackets extend from a corresponding mounting end of the plurality of support structures, and
the vehicle bed frame system is attached to the vehicle via the plurality of mounting brackets.
11. The method of
12. The method of
wherein,
the vehicle bed frame system includes a plurality of equipment mounting brackets extending from the plurality of side rails, and
the plurality of equipment mounting brackets is operable to maintain a corresponding equipment device to the plurality of side rails.
13. The method of
wherein,
the at least one top rail is a plurality of top rails, and
the plurality of top rails connect the plurality of support structures.
14. The method of
15. The method of
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This application is related to and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/902,202, filed Sep. 18, 2019 entitled “RECONFIGURABLE BED RACK SYSTEM AND METHOD,” the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to storage rack systems, and more particularly to reconfigurable storage rack systems for use with a plurality of different beds of a plurality of different vehicles including, but not limited to, pickup trucks.
Conventional vehicle racks, such as truck bed racks, generally attach to a vehicle to provide a base or structure upon which tools or equipment may be attached for transport by the vehicle. For example, a truck bed rack may attach to a bed of a truck to carry mountain bikes, motorcycles, camping equipment, and the like. Such racks, however, are typically static in design, not adaptable, heavy, difficult to install, and/or expensive to manufacture and purchase. In particular, truck bed racks are typically manufactured for a specific truck design or size such that, once installed, the dimensions of the rack remain static. In addition, installing a rack with different dimensions, such as a higher rack height, generally requires purchasing a new rack with the desired dimensions, removing the old bed rack, and installing the newly purchased bed rack, which is both expensive and time-consuming.
One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle bed frame comprising a front support structure and a rear support structure. Each of the front support structure and the rear support structure comprising a pair of upright telescoping posts each comprising a mounting end and a connecting end opposite the mounting end and a telescoping cross rail connected between the connecting ends of the corresponding pair of upright telescoping posts. The vehicle bed frame further comprising a side rail connecting the front support structure and the rear support structure, wherein the pair of upright telescoping posts of the front support structure and the pair of upright telescoping posts of the rear support structure are slidably moveable to extend a length of each of the pair of upright telescoping posts and the telescoping cross rail of the front support structure and telescoping cross rail of the rear support structure are correspondingly slidably moveable to contract a length of the telescoping cross rails while attached to a vehicle.
Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for adjusting a vehicle bed frame. The method may include the operations of mounting the vehicle bed frame on a bed of the vehicle and, while mounted on the bed of the vehicle, adjusting a height of the vehicle bed frame. Adjusting the height of the vehicle bed frame may include slidably telescoping a first pair of upright telescoping posts of a front support structure, each comprising a mounting end and a connecting end opposite the mounting end, to increase a length of the first pair of upright telescoping posts and slidably telescoping a second pair of upright telescoping posts of a rear support structure, each comprising a mounting end and a connecting end opposite the mounting end, to increase a length of the second pair of upright telescoping posts. Slidably telescoping the first pair of upright telescoping posts may cause a first telescoping cross rail connected between the connecting ends of the first pair of upright telescoping posts to slidably telescope to shorten a length of the first telescoping cross rail and slidably telescoping the second pair of upright telescoping posts may cause a second telescoping cross rail connected between the connecting ends of the second pair of upright telescoping posts to slidably telescope to shorten a length of the second telescoping cross rail.
Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle-mounted frame comprising a front U-shaped support structure and a rear U-shaped support structure. Each of the front U-shaped support structure and a rear U-shaped support structure may include a pair of upright posts each comprising a mounting end and a connecting end opposite the mounting end and a pair of upright posts each comprising a mounting end and a connecting end opposite the mounting end. The vehicle-mounted frame may also include a plurality of upper rails extending between the cross rail of the front U-shaped support structure and the cross rail of the rear U-shaped support structure and a tire hoist bracket assembly extending between the plurality of upper rails, the tire hoist bracket assembly comprising a tire hoisting device housing.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure set forth herein should be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of those inventive concepts, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and, therefore, are not to be considered limiting in scope.
Aspects of the present disclosure involve a reconfigurable bed rack system and methods of manufacture and use that is dynamic, adaptable, lightweight, and easy to install. In one implementation, the bed rack system may include a plurality of U-shaped modular telescoping support structures that allow for a height adjustment to the rack without uninstalling the rack from the truck bed. In particular, each U-shaped telescoping support structure may include a pair of upright telescoping rails and a corresponding horizontal top telescoping cross rail between the upright rails that allow for the an adjustment to the height of each U-shaped support structure. Through the telescoping feature of the U-shaped support structures, a height dimension of the bed rack system may be increased or decreased. In one particular embodiment, the rack system provides for at least three platform height positions ranging from 14 inches to 19 inches to 23 inches. However, is it foreseen that the bed rack system may provide fewer or greater platform height positions, including heights less than 14 inches and greater than 23 inches. One or more side and/or upper rails may extend between the plurality of U-shaped modular telescoping supports for added structural support to the bed rack system. The side and/or upper rails may include one or more holes or other mounting configurations for attaching one or more mounting brackets. Such brackets may be configured to secure equipment, tools and/or supplies to the bed rack system. The bed rack system may also include a plurality of bed mounting plates for mounting the rack system to an in-bed rail system.
In one embodiment, the rack system may include a tire hoist bracket assembly attached to one or more upper rails of the rack system. The tire hoist bracket assembly may support a hoisting system between the upper rails of the rack system with a hoist cable extending down from the upper rails. The hoist cable may attach to a spare tire, in some instances, associated with the vehicle to which the rack system is attached. Through operation of the hoist device supported by the tire hoist bracket, the spare tire may be held against an upper, inner surface of the upper rails of the rack system for storage of the spare tire. Releasing the hoist cable may allow for removal of the spare tire from the storage location for application to the vehicle on which the bed rack system is mounted. Through the tire hoist bracket and system, a spare tire for the vehicle may be stored underneath the rack system thereby providing additional clearance space within the truck bed and/or underneath the vehicle where, traditionally, storage of a spare tire is provided.
Referring first to
A horizontal, telescoping cross rail 130 may connect the pair of upright rails 106,108 for each U-shaped modular telescoping support structure 102, 104. For example, horizontal cross rail 130 may extend between upper ends 122, 124 of the upright rails 106, 108 to form the rear U-shaped telescoping support 102. Horizontal cross rail 132 may similarly extend between upper ends 126, 128 of the upright rails 110, 112 to form the front U-shaped telescoping support 104. Each of the upright rails 110, 112 and horizontal cross rail 130 may include telescoping mechanisms to allow for adjustment in the length of the upright rails 110, 112 and/or the horizontal cross rail 130. More particularly and shown best in
The outer sleeve 502 of the upright rail 106 may be held in position on the inner rail portion 504 via any connector, such as a bolt 508 or other fastener passing through the outer sleeve 502 and the inner pole 504. The bolt may be held in place with a corresponding nut screwed onto the bolt. To adjust the height of the bed rack system 100, the bolt may be loosened or removed from the upright rail 106 and the outer sleeve 502 may slide along the inner rail 504 to a desired position, either extending or shortening the length of the upper rail 106. The bolt or other fastener may be replaced through the outer sleeve 502 and the inner rail portion 504 to again hold the outer sleeve in position at the desired height or length. In some embodiments, configuration holes 510 may be located along and through the outer sleeve 502 and inner rail portion 504 of the upright rail 106 at predetermined locations to provide standardized height options for the reconfigurable bed rack 100. For example, a first positioning hole 512 may be located through the upright rail 106 that provides the bed rack with a height of 14 inches (measured from a bottom edge of the rack 100 to a bottom surface of the horizontal cross rail 130). Other positioning holes, such as a second positioning hole to provide a height of 19 inches and a third positioning hole 510 to provide a height of 23 inches, may also be located on the upright rail 106. In general, however, any number of positioning holes 510, 512 or other types of fasteners 508 may be used to provide the bed rack system with any height. A similar connector system and telescoping feature may be present on each upright rail 106-112 of the rack 100 such that all of the upright rails may be adjusted simultaneously and held in place at the desired height. In other embodiments, each upright rail 106-112 may be adjusted individually to provide the bed rack system 100 with varying heights or clearances. For example, the rear U-shaped support structure 102 may be set at a first height while the front U-shaped support 104 may be set at a different height. In some instances, the selected height of the reconfigurable bed rack system 100 may be made to ensure that the top surface of the rack lies above a cab of a truck on which the bed rack system 100 is mounted.
Returning to the reconfigurable bed rack 100 of
In one particular implementation, the components may be composed of laser cut steel of appropriate thickness to provide support of various equipment and supplies to the truck bed rack 100. In one implementation, the reconfigurable rack system 100 may support 800 pounds of static load or 425 pound of dynamic load. However, other materials and tolerances of the components of the bed rack 100 are contemplated and may be used in manufacturing of the rack system 100. In addition, the width of the reconfigurable bed rack system 100 may be available in various lengths for different sizes of truck beds or other portions of a vehicle. The forward to rear length may also vary based on the bed rack application and the number of U-shaped supports utilized in the rack 100.
The reconfigurable bed rack system 100 may attach to a vehicle via a variety of different mechanisms. In one embodiment illustrated in
As should be appreciated, the height or other dimensions of the reconfigurable bed rack system 100 may be adjusted without disengaging the mounting brackets 602-608 from the truck bed. In particular, the telescoping features of the upright rails 106-112 and the cross rails 130, 132 of the U-shaped support structures 102, 104 allow for the extension of the upright rails (and corresponding shortening of the cross rails) to increase the height of the bed rack system 100 without removing the rack from the bed or vehicle to which it is attached. Similarly, the telescoping features of the upright rails 106-112 and the cross rails 130, 132 of the U-shaped support structures 102, 104 allow for the shortening of the upright rails (and corresponding lengthening of the cross rails) to decrease the height of the bed rack system 100 without removing the rack from the bed or vehicle to which it is attached. In one instance, an adjustment bolt 508 or other fastener may be removed from a positioning hole 510 to adjust the height of the bed rack 100 and reinserted through another positioning hole at the desired rack height. In this manner, the dimensions of the reconfigurable bed rack 100 may be adjusted easily without the need to remove the rack from attachment to the accompanying vehicle.
As discussed above, various types of equipment and/or supplies may be attached to the reconfigurable bed rack system 100 for transport.
Several supply mounting brackets are illustrated in
One feature of the bed rack system 100 include the modularity of the components of the system. For example, lower side rails 134, 136 and/or upper side rails 142, 144 may or may not be attached to the truck bed system 100, or may be located in a different configuration or location on the rack system. One or more of the supply mounting brackets 1002-1012 may also be attached or nor attached to the bed rack system 100 to accommodate the various needs/types of supplies and equipment of users of the rack system. One or more of the bed mounting brackets 602-608 may also be present or removed from the bed rack system 100 to adjust the attachment of the rack system to a corresponding vehicle. Through this modular design, the bed rack system 100 may be configured into multiple designs to accommodate the needs and/or desires of a user of the bed rack system.
An additional accessory for the bed rack system 100 includes a spare tire hoist bracket assembly. In particular,
The bottom surface 1130 of the hoist housing portion 1106 may include a hoist wire access hole 1140 through which a wire, chain, or string 1142 of the hoisting device may extend. In one particular embodiment, the hoist wire access hole 1140 may be keyhole shaped to accommodate various hoisting device designs. In addition, the bottom surface 1130 of the hoist housing portion 1106 may also include one more hoist device 1144 mounting holes through which one or more bolts or other attachment mechanisms may pass through to attach the hoisting device to the bottom surface 1130. Other attachment mechanisms for locating the hoisting device 1144 within the hoist housing portion 1106 are also contemplated. In addition, the housing surface 1116 of the first tire hoist mounting bracket 1102 and/or the housing surface 1126 of the second tire hoist mounting bracket 1104 may include an access hole 1128 through which a crank to activate or control the tire hoist may be inserted. In other words, a tire hoist crank 1146 may be inserted through the access hole 1128 of the housing surface 1116 of the first mounting bracket 1102 or the housing surface 1126 of the second mounting bracket 1104 to engage a corresponding hoist activation bolt. In general, the tire hoist 1144 may raise or lower the hoist cable 1142 through a rotation of the crank 1146 and corresponding hoist bolt. When attached to the tire hoist 1144, the crank 1146 may extend through the housing wall and under the upper surface 1106 of the first tire hoist mounting bracket 1102 or the upper surface 1118 of the second tire hoist mounting bracket 1104.
As best seen in
With the tire hoist bracket assembly 150 attached to the bed rack system 100, a spare tire 1200 for the corresponding vehicle to which the rack is attached may be stowed against the rack. In particular,
Embodiments of the present disclosure include various steps, which are described in this specification. The steps may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software and/or firmware.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations together with all equivalents thereof.
Hanson, Mark, Faustmann, Christopher
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Jun 17 2020 | Overkill Motorsports, Inc. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Mar 31 2022 | FAUSTMANN, CHRISTOPHER | OVERKILL MOTORSPORTS, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 059523 | /0373 | |
Apr 06 2022 | HANSON, MARK | OVERKILL MOTORSPORTS, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 059523 | /0373 |
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